Leon Aaron Edwards is an English mixed martial artist who competes in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and holds the title of UFC Welterweight Champion. He started his professional career in 2011 and was previously associated with BAMMA, where he held the title of BAMMA Welterweight Champion. Currently, he is ranked #4 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings.
Leon Edwards successfully defended his UFC Welterweight title against Kamaru Usman at UFC 286, on 18th March 2023. Edwards won the bout via a majority decision.
Leon Aaron Edwards was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and spent his childhood living in a one-room house with his parents and brother. The area he grew up in was affected by high levels of crime, and his father was involved in activities that he considered questionable. When Edwards was nine years old, he moved to the Aston area of Birmingham, England. Unfortunately, when he was thirteen years old, his father was shot and killed in a nightclub in London. This tragedy led Edwards to become involved in criminal activity such as drug dealing, street fighting, and carrying a knife, along with his social circle. However, when he was 17 years old, his mother convinced him to join an MMA club, which helped him turn his life around.
Leon Edwards began his professional fighting career in 2010 as an amateur in Bushido Challenge 2 - A New Dawn, where he won his first fight against Carl Booth via Armbar submission in round two. He then signed with Fight UK MMA, winning his debut fight against Damian Zlotnicki via technical knockout in the first round. After two more fights with Fight UK MMA, he had a record of 2-1. He then won a decision against Craig White at Strength and Honor 14. Edwards then joined BAMMA, where he had an undefeated record of 5-0, winning the welterweight championship against Wayne Murrie and successfully defending it once against Shaun Taylor before joining the UFC.
Leon Edwards made his UFC debut on November 8, 2014, against Cláudio Silva but was defeated by a split decision.
He bounced back with a KO win over Seth Baczynski, earning him a Performance of the Night bonus and one of the sixth-fastest knockouts in UFC history. He went on to win fights against Pawel Pawlak, Dominic Waters, Albert Tumenov, Vicente Luque, Bryan Barberena, and Peter Sobotta. Edwards faced future UFC champion Kamaru Usman in 2015 but lost by a unanimous decision. In 2019, he won a split decision victory over Gunnar Nelson but was involved in a backstage altercation with Jorge Masvidal after the fight. He then won a unanimous decision against Rafael dos Anjos in the main event of UFC on ESPN 4 in 2019.
Edwards was scheduled to face Tyron Woodley in March 2020, but the fight was canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions. He was later scheduled to fight Khamzat Chimaev three times, but the bouts were canceled due to COVID-19-related issues. He then faced Belal Muhammad in March 2021, but the fight was declared a no-contest due to an accidental eye poke. Edwards ultimately defeated Nate Diaz via a unanimous decision in June 2021 at UFC 263. A scheduled bout against Jorge Masvidal in December 2021 was scrapped due to Masvidal's injury.
Leon Edwards had a rematch against Kamaru Usman for the UFC Welterweight Championship on August 20, 2022, at UFC 278, which he won via knockout in the fifth round, claiming the Welterweight title and earning the Performance of the Night award. Edwards vs. Usman 3 has been scheduled to take place at UFC 286 on 18th March 2023.
On March 18, 2023, Leon Edwards successfully defended his belt against Kamaru Usman to remain the undisputed UFC Welterweight champion. He won the fight via a majority decision.
Leon Edwards holds a professional MMA record of 21 wins and 3 losses.
In his last fight against Kamaru Usman, Leon Edwards earned $350,000.
Leon Edwards has an estimated net worth of $1.5 Million.
Last Updated On 19th March 2023
